Metered dose inhalers (MDI) are devices that produce aerosolized medicines. Physicians generally use a MDI to deliver a specific amount of medicine to the lungs of a patient. The MDI produces a burst of aerosolized medicine, which the patient then inhales.
A MDI typically includes a canister, a metering valve, and an actuator. The canister holds a pressurized medicine, the metering valve restricts an amount of medicine that is dispensed when the MDI is actuated, and the actuator, that typically includes a stem and nozzle communication with the metering valve, provide the ability to dispense a limited amount of medicine from the canister and metering valve in an aerosolized from.
Patients may have difficulty actuating a MDI or storing a MDI in a manner that prevents inadvertent actuations. Accordingly, improved applicators for use with a MDI that provide the ability to easily actuate the MDI and that provide for convenient storage of the MDI are desirable.